Mobile telephone provided with a camera and programming method

Abstract

A mobile telephone provided with a camera is made. This telephone is capable of modifying its parameters through a reading of bar codes. The telephone has software for the reading and interpretation of bar codes. This method is designed for the low-cost, mass programming of mobile telephones.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A mobile telephone comprising a camera, a microprocessor and a program memory wherein, to read bar codes with the camera, the program memory memorizes a sub-program by which a signal in a video format, recorded by the camera and representing an image of a bar code to be read, is converted into a digital format signal representing this bar code, and wherein the mobile telephone comprises circuits to interpret these bar codes.  
     
     
         2 . A telephone according to  claim 1 , comprising circuits to show a decoded transcription of the image of the bar code on a screen of the telephone.  
     
     
         3 . A telephone according to one of the  claims 1  to  2 , comprising circuits to pick up images of bar codes, an circuits to edit signalling signals resulting from a transcoding of an signal encoded according to a bar code protocol into a signal encoded according to a mobile telephone protocol.  
     
     
         4 . A telephone according to one of the  claims 1  to  3 , comprising a memory to memorize data contained in a bar code.  
     
     
         5 . A telephone according to one of the  claims 1  to  4 , comprising circuits to modify a program memory of the telephone as a function of an interpretation of a read bar code.  
     
     
         6 . A telephone according to one of the  claims 1  to  5 , wherein the camera is directed from a side of the pack of the telephone where there is no screen.  
     
     
         7 . A telephone according to one of the  claims 1  to  6 , wherein the camera is mounted on a swivelling shutter.  
     
     
         8 . A telephone according to one of the  claims 1  to  7 , comprising circuits so that a use of a camera is a function of the orientation.  
     
     
         9 . A telephone according to one of the  claims 1  to  8 , comprising an indicator of the focusing of an image of a bar code.  
     
     
         10 . A telephone according to one of the  claims 1  to  9 , not comprising any back panel connector.  
     
     
         11 . A method for the programming of a mobile telephone, comprising the following steps 
 a bar code is read with a camera of this mobile telephone,    and the telephone is programmed with the contents of a bar code read.    
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein: 
 an identity of a read bar code is transmitted to an operator.